There are many different names for shin splints. For example, shin splints, athletes' shin, jumping shins or jumping legs. Whatever it is called, shin splints or shin injuries are no fun. You may experience pain at both the front and back of your shin. How exactly do shin injuries occur and what can you do about them? Our colleague Bart Hoeven is happy to tell you more about it in this blog.
The causes of shin pain
Shin problems can be very annoying, they usually set in during running and will hamper you in your daily activities. We list some causes and solutions:
- Wrong running shoes: get shoes with proper cushioning
- A hard surface while running: run on a soft, shock-absorbent surface, e.g. grass
- Building up your running schedule too quickly: start slowly and build up
- Incorrect walking posture: don't take too big steps
What are shin splints?
Shin pain may manifest as a nagging pain on the inside of your lower leg. The symptoms can occur on one or both legs. You may feel pain where your shin muscle attaches to the lower leg. You tighten this muscle especially when standing on your toes or when pushing off from your toes while running or running, so these movements are more likely to cause symptoms.
The muscle located behind the tibia and fibula also plays a major role in shin pain. The tensile forces on the inside and back of the tibia can cause small bone deformities on the tibia. This causes a lot of pain on the inside of the shinbone. This pain makes it difficult to run hard for a long time.
3 tips to reduce shin pain while running
- Walk on soft ground; a softer surface is shock-absorbing. So this cushions the impact as soon as the foot hits the ground and reduces the strain on your shins.
- Take more frequent rests in between; while running, you tend to keep running because you want to achieve your goals. But it is better for your body to take longer walking breaks between runs, for less discomfort to your shins.
- Stop exercising; no, you do not have to stop exercising completely, but you do have to stop running temporarily. Give your body the rest it needs and try to do sports that don't hurt in between. Take swimming, cycling and/or strength training, for example.
Shockwave therapy for shin splints
Shin pain can be treated well with the help of shockwave therapy. This form of treatment works with sound waves. The shockwave device is placed on your skin, causing sound waves to travel under a certain pressure through your skin to the area of your injury. These sound waves improve the blood circulation and metabolism of your injury. Thus, this form of treatment causes your body to resolve your injury itself, reducing pain. With shockwave therapy, you will soon notice results!
Do you have shin pain? Call in a physiotherapist!
After following our tips, do you still suffer a lot from shin pain? Then our physiotherapists are always here for you! Contact us today via 085-5000333 or info@friskfysio.nl. You can also use the contact form on our website. We look forward to seeing you at our practice!
